The Princess's Entourage
by stilted-stylus
Summary: When it came to boys, maybe they were a little bit too overprotective. May Kami bless Hiromi's soul. ::Bladebreakers centric::oneshot::


**The Princess's Entourage**  
_stilted-stylus_

A/N: I seriously like shounen anime teams. You know, those groups that have very distinct individuals working towards the same goal, who all end up becoming best friends in the end? _Yes. And I especially love if it's one of those all-hot-boys-with-the-exception-of-one-tough-girl teams._ -giggle-

Oh, and here's a translation for all those who've never had the pleasure of watching Batuken Shoot! Beyblade, the _Japanese _version.

Hiromi: Hilary  
Takao: Tyson  
Kyouju (literally means Professor) : Kenny

Kai, Rei, and Max are basically the same (well, Rei is usually spelled _Ray_...-eyeroll-) and jii-san is short for Ojii-san which means grandpa (...I'm sure that's the romaji way to spell it. Correct me if I'm wrong.)

Oh. And don't ask me where Daichi disappeared too. He's vanished into the wilderness. -blink-

And without further ado, enjoy!

* * *

She ran about the dojo, her heels clicking and sliding against the recently washed hardwood. Damn pumps! Even without the addition of wet floor she'd always had trouble walking like a sane person. 

Not that the tiny, black dress was helping any, either. The fit was tight against her skin, hugging the sufficiently sized curvature of her hips and chest. It had been Mao-chan's suggestion to wear something that would "capture his attention" but Hiromi was seriously regretting it now.

The skirt effectively restricted the movement of her legs, as she not so graciously waddled her way through multiple corridors.

Finally, she made it to the living room area where the boys were either a) beyblading, b) watching reruns of beyblade tournaments on T.V., or c) looking up new beyblading secrets on Dizzi, the laptop. She walked in, heels still rhythmically clacking against the floorboards, hair done up in an elaborately sexy (Mao-chan's doing, as per usual) fashion, dressed to kill in a fitting ebony dress, and none of them looked up. Figures.

(Can anyone say 'obsession'?)

She didn't have time to be indignant.

"Did anyone see my red hoop earrings?" She asked in an unnecessarily high volume, casually glancing at her reflection in a nearby mirror.

Max and Rei were the first to look up, un-gluing their stares from the television.

"I don't thi—Whoa!"

Max's exclamation turned Kyouju from his computer screen, his eyes effectively widening behind his round-rimmed glasses.

"Hiromi, you've pulled all the stops tonight." Rei grinned from his seat on the couch, "Some special family thing going on?"

"Nope!" She noticed the stray hairs that had escaped her styling and she quickly pulled a brush from her purse, "Date tonight."

It suddenly went very quiet.

Takao and Kai finally snapped to attention, their game coming to a complete standstill as Dranzer and Dragoon whirred to a stop.

"Date?" Takao finally murmured, sounding a little bit…venomous? "Tonight?"

She nodded as she applied her recently purchased strawberry lip-gloss against her mouth. "He's coming here. Right now, actually!"

"Here?" Kai hissed, that same malice underlying his tone, "Now?"

"Yes!" She replied once more, "Since today was team training day, I figured I'd just prepare and wait for him here." She looked to Takao before he could open his mouth, "Jii-san said it was okay!"

Hiromi then turned apologetically to Max, "Sorry Max. My date needed to reschedule so I won't be helping with dinner tonight." She pointed over to the Styrofoam containers on the kitchen counter, "I did bring some pasta noodles, though, and some of those special herbs you all like, so I'm sure you'll all enjoy dinner without me!"

"But Hiromi…" Max mumbled first. "Today's team day. _Team_ day! How can we have team day without the complete team?"

The girl giggled in response, "C'mon Max. You make it sound as if you guys can't function without me."

"Which is definitely, definitely not the case." Takao grumbled from his corner, crossing his arms.

Hiromi tossed him a look, ruby eyes glaring daggers. "Don't start with me…"

And he immediately shut up.

"Anyway, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, it's just one night, guys."

She winked, waving her hand in a flirtatious manner, "And besides, the last time I'd been on a date was ages ago—"

"Six months," Kai muttered, "Is not ages ago."

"—I can't even remember the guy's name—"

"It was Hayashi Jin." Kyouju pointed out, "That skinny, pale guy with the bad haircut…"

"—Oh yeah! …And he did not have a bad haircut! It was kind of punk. Really cool punk!"

"I don't like you hanging around with punks, Hiromi." Rei said, shaking his head in a mother-hen fashion.

"And he was way too old for you, Hiromi!" Max added in.

Hiromi blinked, sending him a deadpan stare, "He was just two years older, Max. He was—"

"Already going to college! College. As in big people school, Hiromi!" He cut in once more.

"…I was going to say sophisticated." Hiromi replied.

"Pft." Takao scoffed again, "What sophisticated man would come within two meters of you?"

Hiromi glared lightly, "Takao, you can't even spell sophisticated."

He shut up once more.

"Well, it doesn't even matter anyway. The guy turned out not quite as I imagined he'd be. I mean, all through dinner he'd been a nervous wreck, constantly glancing over his shoulder, checking for who knows what…"

She sighed, "I guess that just goes to show you can't judge a book by its cover, ne?"

The sly glances around the room went unnoticed by the brunette.

"So! Returning to the present, do you guys think I look okay without the earrings…?" She smiled prettily at the boys and the same thought registered in their brains. _Of course._ When did their training coach ever not look okay?

Before any of them could answer, the doorbell sounded.

And they chorused a simultaneous, "No."

Kai smirked lightly with her frustrated expression, "Go find them."

"I think…" Rei added thoughtfully, "you took them off right before we had that battle so check out the backyard…"

"Oh, that's right!" Hiromi exclaimed, heels about to click upon the hardwood when she halted, "But what about Tsuneo…?"

"Don't worry," Kyouju said, adjusting his glasses in a conspicuous manner, "We'll take care of him."

She nodded, totally ignorant to the stirring volatile air. When she finally left the room in a click of heels, Kyouju methodically rose to answer the door.

On the doorstep stood the nervous Tsuneo, gripping a bouquet of daisies in his right hand. "H-hello." He murmured, "I'm here to pick up Hiromi-chan…"

Kyouju shot him an unsmiling stare, "Come in."

The spectacled teen led Tsuneo through the front corridor, the latter of the two glancing anxiously around. "So, um, I didn't know Hiromi-chan had a brother…"

"She doesn't." He succinctly replied.

"Er…so…um…I had no idea she lived in a dojo!"

Again he muttered an unfeeling, "She doesn't."

"Oh…kay…"

As they reached the living quarters, the already sweating teen felt his throat drop into the pit of his stomach. Five very unfriendly-looking teenage boys stared back at him, the two in the back corner looking especially dangerous.

"H-hi…"

Takao was the first to speak, "Make yourself at home."

…_Right._

He tentatively sat on the larger, unoccupied couch, "That's my seat." Takao suddenly said.

Surprised, he ungracefully slid to the other side, "That's _my_ seat." Kai then bit.

Poor Tsuneo, already sweating bullets, moved to the middle seat in an unnatural rush.

"That's Hiromi's seat!" Max chided loudly.

"Sh-she's not even here!" Tsuneo responded, attempting to hold his ground.

He was met with silence, but the thickness of the atmosphere, which he'd been so sure was impossible a few moments ago, had somehow acquired an edge.

"So…um, where's Hiromi-chan?" He inquired nervously, fiddling with the stems of his daisies.

"Getting ready." Rei replied evenly.

"Oh. …Okay."

Another awkward silence ensued and Tsuneo, ignorant as he was, made another attempt at conversation with the boys. (I mean, they were all about his age, right? They had to find some common ground somewhere…)

"Er…I'm Sasaki Tsuneo…"

"Did we ask you for your name?" Kai grumbled, just loud enough for him to hear.

"Tsuneo?" Kyouju questioned, "Doesn't that mean 'common man' or something?" He then grinned after giving him a once over, "How fitting."

Rei, being the relatively level-headed one, nodded sternly, "I'm Rei. This is Max. That's Kyouju. And those two over there are Kai and Takao."

"Kinomiya Takao." Takao declared suddenly standing, "And this is my family's dojo."

"Oh…ah, are you like a martial artist or something?" Tsuneo asked, glad to have come upon a starting point for a decent conversation.

"…What?" Takao's brows furrowed, "_You serious_? You seriously don't know who we are? Who _I_ am?" The blue-haired teen questioned incredulously.

"Erm…I don't really watch…martial arts…" Tsuneo fumbled, frowning at the gut feeling that everything was about to spin out of control.

"Ugh!" Takao groaned. "I'm not a freakin' martial artist! Who are you to assume that just because I live in a dojo, I'm a martial artist?"

"Er…Sor-sorry?"

Max then whispered quite audibly at Rei, "I can't believe Hiromi's going on a date with someone who doesn't even know about beyblading…"

"Oh, uh…! Beyblading!" Tsuneo exclaimed, "The…The thing with the spinning tops, right?"

The room went deadly quiet.

"They're _not_ spinning tops." Kyouju hissed from behind the screen of his laptop.

"…"

"We're Hiromi's team!" Max suddenly yelled. "Her beyblading team!"

"We're champions!!!" Takao added, "How the hell do you not know us?"

"Better yet," Kai murmured, "How the hell do you not know about beyblading when it's such a big part of Hiromi's life?"

"I…I…"

"Let's battle! Right now!" Takao shouted, gripping tightly at Dragoon's ripcord.

"N-no…I…I…!"

"Calm down, guys. He's here for Hiromi, remember?" Rei calmly said. Tsuneo looked to the Chinese teen, attempting to silently thank him…when he was met with the sternest golden pair of eyes he'd ever seen. This Rei meant business.

"So…" Rei began in a serious tone, "Where do you two plan to go this evening?"

"Um…this one restaurant…"

"Which one?" Rei implored.

"The Jade Palace…"

The boys immediately looked to Kyouju, who muttered a quiet, "On it."

"Hmmm…" The brunette said, the glow of the laptop reflecting off his glasses, "Only three stars? How terribly disappointing…"

"Since you had the audacity to ask her out, couldn't you put more effort into a better place?" Kai bitterly inquired, as he too stood.

"Um…"

"You know she's missing team dinner to go with you? She always makes team dinner with me!" Max whined, crossing his arms.

"What is with you rescheduling anyway?" Rei asked, "Hiromi mentioned earlier that you rescheduled the date to a later time. …Why is that?"

"I'm…er…"

"You're not planning anything, are you?" Takao asked, a feral scowl on his lips as he took his seat on the couch.

"I hope not." Kyouju murmured from his place.

"There would certainly be consequences for such thoughts." Kai said dangerously as he took the other unoccupied seat, effectively sandwiching Tsuneo.

The trembling teen's nervousness only multiplied with the seating arrangement.

"N-no! I mean, sure, we were going to maybe watch a movie afterward…"

"Which movie?" Rei inquired, so serenely it bordered menacing.

"A…Um…One Missed Call, maybe…?"

"One Missed Call?" Max exclaimed, "That's a scary movie!"

"Why would you take Hiromi to a scary movie, Tsuneo?" The ebony-haired young man questioned. "Don't you know Hiromi scares easily at those types of things?"

"N-No, I…didn't…"

"Or maybe you did." Kyouju cut in, "But that was part of your plan, wasn't it?"

Takao's eyes became slits as he caught on, "You'd like that, wouldn't you? For Hiromi to grab onto your arm and bury her face in your shoulder…"

"Resorting to underhanded means, Tsuneo?" Kyouju shook his head, tsk-ing.

"N-no!…I never—"

"Don't even try it." Kai hissed, warning with glaring garnet eyes, of the penalty for even attempting to touch her.

"Then what were you going to do after?" Rei continued.

"Um…there's this café…"

"What café?" Rei asked, rolling his eyes.

"The Tenshi no Hana Café…"

"On it." Kyouju muttered again, furiously typing away at his laptop. "Four stars…"

"I-It's Hiromi-chan's favorite café…!" Tsuneo spoke up.

"Which is why it's an acceptable location." Rei replied.

"What's with all this, 'Hiromi-chan', 'Hiromi-chan'?!" Takao interrupted, furious. "Just how long have you known her?"

"She's been our friend for almost four years and we don't call her Hiromi-chan!" Max put in.

"When did you meet her, Tsuneo?" asked the Chinese blader, crossing his arms and sending him a fixed stare. "How long have you known her?"

"I…I met her last month, when she was touring the local university…"

"University? Don't tell me you're in college?" Max groaned.

"Because Hiromi's last date had been in college…" Kyouju put in delicately.

"We did not approve." Murmured Kai.

"N-no! I'm not in university…We'd been there on a field trip!"

"Then you're just a high school student?" Takao scoffed, "Y'know, if there's anything I can't stand, it's a kid worming his way into playing with the big boys."

"But…We're the same age…!"

"Why do you always bring up unnecessary details?" He bit back.

"If there's anything Hiromi appreciates in a man, it's a sense of maturity." Rei added.

"B-but! I'm…I'm not a reckless guy!" Tsuneo tried, clenching his eyes shut as he forced the thought through his mouth. "I mean, I…I never get into trouble! I don't have a court record…I've never even had detention before!"

The room turned quiet suddenly with his sudden outburst. For a moment, anyway.

"She also likes guys who can take on adventure!" Max then said.

"Yes." Kyouju 'pft-ed'. "I mean, even I've gotten detention before. What kind of teenager are you?"

"…I just…" Tsuneo whimpered going red in the face.

"I'm telling you, we'll see how much of a man he is if we battle him!" Takao urged, gesturing to the make-shift stadium in the corner.

"I think he should cook our dinner!" Max yelled enthusiastically, "Better yet, let's make him our servant the entire night to make up for Hiromi's absence! That'll surely make a man out of him."

"If he's here playing butler to us, Max, then why would Hiromi be absent?" Kyouju pointed out, shifting his glasses again, "Anyway, what constitutes a real eligible date for Hiromi is a guy who can put together a decent beyblade."

"Like Takao said, let's battle him…" Kai suddenly cut in, "but real men use just their fists." He leaned into him, auburn eyes boring into his skull. "Takao may not be a martial arts champion, but I can assure you I know a few ways to render a man totally disabled…"

Tsuneo shivered, unsure if he could take much more of Hiromi's 'friends' 'small-talk' without wetting himself.

"A true gentleman…" Rei finally said, "and I'm sure we can all agree, is someone who acts appropriately on a date and who gets her home on time."

They assented to it, silently grunting or nodding in some manner.

Tsuneo nodded vigorously. The thick air was somehow penetrated by the uneven click of heels on hardwood.

"Found them!" Hiromi said happily, rushing over to the mirror so she could properly put the earrings on and so she could give herself a final once-over.

"I'm sure you guys have made with the introductions, right?" The brunette asked, smilingly. "If you'd all been too pigheaded to, then here's a quickie. Boys, this is my date, Tsuneo. Tsuneo, these are my boys. My team—Takao, Kai, Max, Rei, and Kyouju."

She walked through the room, still hopelessly unaware of her teammates' volatile glares or the fact that her date had sweat rolling off his skin in droves.

"Oh, daisies! For me?" Hiromi exclaimed happily, going for the bouquet. Tsuneo nodded, his confidence boosting with the light in her eyes. "…You said you liked wildflowers…"

She nodded enthusiastically, and she made to hug him.

He swore, as soon as her arms wound loosely around his neck, something…_crackled_ in the air…like electricity? …Or was that fire?

"I'm just going to quickly put these in water…" She mumbled as they parted.

"…N-no!" He hissed a little too late as she quickly retreated into the kitchen.

He gulped as he cautiously turned to the five other males in the room.

Rei then murmured softly but intensely, "Ground rules: Back at 11 sharp and not a minute later."

Max then added, "You better pay for _everything_!"

"No unnecessary touching or unwanted advances." Kai practically growled, his knuckles going white in his grip.

"And if by some miracle, this date goes somewhere…you better not even think about breaking her heart." Takao snarled menacingly, "Or you will answer to us."

Tsuneo nodded anxiously.

"And remember, around here, the only exception being you, the title 'Beyblade Champions' holds water. We have eyes and ears everywhere…" Kyouju muttered ominously. "We'll be watching you…"

"Tsuneo!" the only female finally called, reappearing from the kitchen. "C'mon!" She quickly grabbed her coat, tugging at Tsuneo's sleeve to urge the frozen boy forward. "What is wrong with you? We might miss our reservation if you don't hurry up!" She said, giggling.

"Have fun tonight, guys! Max, remember to heat the herbs before using them! No, Kyouju, it's fine, I don't want my beyblade upgraded. Takao, don't touch my DS. ("I wasn't even--!") Kai, please go to bed early! And Rei, I think we'll be home around 11 or something."

She winked, dragging her rather unresponsive date behind her. "Don't wait up!"

* * *

At exactly 11 o'clock, Hiromi arrived home in an obvious huff. 

After chucking off her heels, she strode right past her bemused teammates, mumbling angrily under her breath, "Am I really that intimidating? Or do I just have that kind of effect on men?!"

* * *

End 

A/N: Well, I hoped you guys liked it. :D Please keep in mind that this is my first fanfiction. If you're going to serve up some criticism, let's keep it clean!


End file.
